Associate Junior Faculty Scholars

Dr. Elisheva Coleman is a board-certified Vascular Neurologist with a robust background in stroke research and clinical trials. She completed her medical education at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, followed by a neurology residency at Northwestern University and a stroke fellowship at the University of Cincinnati.

At the University of Cincinnati, Dr. Coleman was actively involved in the NIH StrokeNET stroke trials consortium, contributing to clinical trials across all phases of stroke, including prevention, acute treatment, and recovery. In April 2020, she joined the faculty at the University of Chicago, where she serves as the site Principal Investigator for the DISCOVERY study, a multi-center observational study focused on stroke recovery.

Dr. Coleman’s primary research interests lie in stroke recovery and rehabilitation, with a particular focus on aphasia. A native of Chicago and a Hyde Park local, she is delighted to return to her hometown to advance stroke care and research at the University of Chicago Medicine.

Dr. Elizabeth Kertowidjojo is a distinguished faculty member in the Department of Pathology at the University of Chicago Medical Center, recognized for her expertise in gynecologic pathology. She completed an oncologic surgical pathology fellowship followed by a gynecologic pathology fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Since joining the University of Chicago, Dr. Kertowidjojo has become integral to the management of complex gynecologic diseases, earning high regard from the obstetrics, gynecology, and gynecologic oncology teams.

Along with her clinical work, Dr. Kertowidjojo maintains active academic pursuits. She collaborates extensively with the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology on clinician-driven initiatives, contributing significantly to their feasibility and success. Dr. Kertowidjojo received the Dr. Jacob Churg Award for Academic Development of Junior Pathologists, recognizing her potential to advance research initiatives related to disease mechanisms and patient care. Dr. Kertowidjojo is also celebrated for her educational contributions, particularly her highly rated lectures for the Clinical Pathophysiology and Therapeutics course and the Host, Defense, and Invasion course of which she is Course Co-director. She is also the Program Director of the Pathology Residency, and she was honored with the Wendy Recant, MD Faculty Award for Teaching by the residents. Most recently, Dr. Kertowidjojo was named one of 40 under Forty by the American Society of Clinical Pathology.

Dr. Michelle Lemelman is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and a renowned expert in pediatric endocrinology. As an outstanding pediatric endocrinologist, Dr. Lemelman emphasizes the importance of the doctor-patient relationship in providing optimal care for pediatric patients. Her nomination as a Bucksbaum-Siegler Institute Associate Junior Faculty Scholar reflects her dedication to advancing research and studying the impact of effective physician-patient communication on clinical care. Dr. Lemelman’s leadership and expertise make her a deserving candidate for this prestigious recognition.

Ali Mansour, MD, is a highly skilled neurologist specializing in neurocritical care, excelling at quickly diagnosing and treating life-threatening brain conditions. Dr. Mansour delivers comprehensive care to patients with traumatic brain injury (blunt and penetrating), ischemic (low blood flow) and hemorrhagic (blood vessel rupture) stroke, brain aneurysms and vascular malformations, cerebral edema, status epilepticus and neuroprognostication following cardiac arrest.

As a physician-scientist, Dr. Mansour uses research to improve care for patients with neurological disorders. His work has been published in several widely respected, peer-reviewed journals, including Neurocritical Care, Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases, Nature Scientific Reports, PLoS One and Brain.

Currently, Dr. Mansour’s research emphasizes the management and prognosis following penetrating brain injury (gunshot wounds to the head). He is also evaluating the role of neuroimaging in prognosis following neurocritical illness and cardiac arrest. Dr. Mansour is also interested in neuroinformatics; he and a multidisciplinary team of experts aim to optimize data capture and analysis in neurological and neurocritical illness to improve patient outcomes.

Dr. Edens is currently an Assistant Professor at the University of Chicago where she is an adult and pediatric rheumatologist and the pediatric rheumatology fellowship program director. She is originally from New Mexico where she graduated from medical school. She completed her combined Internal Medicine and Pediatrics residency at the University of Michigan and adult and pediatric rheumatology fellowship at University Hospitals/Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital. Her clinical and research concentration lies in the interplay between the pregnancy, sexual health, contraception, and rheumatic diseases across ages but particularly in teens and young adults. She is active in the American College of Rheumatology Reproductive Health Initiative and the co-leader/founder of the Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance Reproductive Health Work Group. She is also interested in health care transition for those with pediatric-onset rheumatic diseases.

Dr. David A. Hampton earned Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and a Minor in Writing from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He graduated from Washington University School of Medicine in Saint Louis and completed General Surgery Residency at Oregon Health & Science University, and Trauma-Critical Care and Acute Care Surgery Fellowships at the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center. He performed additional trauma training at Groote Schuur Hospital at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. Dr. Hampton is currently an Assistant Professor of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery and a Commander in the US Naval Reserves assigned to the 4th Marine Logistic Group, Surgical Company Bravo.

Dr. Hampton’s research interests include improving surgical outcomes in austere environments, trauma-critical care resuscitation, compassion fatigue and medical education. He has extensively published and presented at numerous national and international conferences on these topics. Dr. Hampton also serves as the Associate Program Director for the Adult Surgical Critical Care Fellowship and as the Third-year Medical Students’ Associate Surgical Clerkship Director.

Dr. C. Maxwell Medert is an ophthalmologist, who will serve as a Glaucoma specialist in the Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Science at the University of Chicago as an Assistant Professor. He completed his medical degree at Emory University School of Medicine before completing his residency in Ophthalmology at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami, Florida. He has dedicated himself to a fellowship in Glaucoma and Advanced Anterior Segment Surgery at Washington University in St. Louis. He is interested in creating educational tools for patients with Glaucoma to help them understand their disease, their care, and the surgical options available to them. He also has an interest in education and hopes to develop the first Glaucoma fellowship at the University of Chicago.

Brandon Jackson Baird, MD, is a laryngeal surgeon specializing in a wide range of laryngeal diseases with an emphasis on medical and surgical management of voice and swallowing disorders.  He completed residency in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at Stanford University and fellowship at Harvard University – Massachusetts General Hospital.  He has spear-headed the office-based laryngology practice at the University of Chicago. His research interests include adjuvant therapy for early glottic cancer and laryngeal dysplasia.

Dr. Stanford is an Assistant Professor in the Section of Emergency Medicine and the Director of ED HIV and STI Screening at the Chicago Center for HIV Elimination (CCHE). Dr. Stanford received her Doctor of Medicine at Columbia University, followed by a residency in emergency medicine at Harvard MGH/Brigham & Women’s, and then a Master of Public Health degree at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Stanford is active in social emergency medicine, chairing both state and national Social EM committees. She runs a robust ED HIV screening program and developed an innovative universal syphilis screening program. Her research focuses on the use of the emergency department visit to address the social determinants of health, including infectious diseases, sexual and reproductive health, homelessness, and human trafficking. Utilizing implementation science methods to inform program development, implementation, and expansion, Dr. Stanford hopes to improve early diagnosis and access to care through innovative ED screening and referral programs.

Katie Rowland is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery, Section of Pediatric Surgery, at the University of Chicago.  She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Baylor University, majoring as a University Scholar with an emphasis in biology and the medical humanities.  She earned her Doctor of Medicine and Master of Population Health Science degrees from Washington University in Saint Louis.  She completed her general surgery residency training at Washington University in Saint Louis and fellowship training in pediatric surgery at Oregon Health and Science University.  At the University of Chicago she is a pediatric surgeon with a clinical emphasis on minimally invasive techniques.  She has an interest in quality improvement in the delivery of pediatric surgical care.  She has an academic research focus in moral and professional formation in medical education.  She is a Faculty Fellow at the Hyde Park Institute and the course director of the Scholars in Ethics and Medicine program, where she teaches University of Chicago medical and undergraduate students in the cultivation of character, using a virtue ethics framework to promote flourishing as a physician and in life. As of October of 2025, Dr. Rowland joined the faculty of WashU in St. Louis, MO.